The Storm Centres of 1857 Revolt and Leaders

The 1857 Revolt has been termed as the first war of Independence by many Historians as it was the first uprising to take place simultaneously in many places across India against the colonial rule. In this post, we will know which were the storm centres of the 1857 mutiny and who were the main leaders at these storm centres.

Beginning of Revolt at Meerut

The mutiny first broke out at Meerut in United Provinces on May 10, 1857. Before this a young Sepoy by the name of Mangal Pande fired at the Sergeant Major of his unit at Barrackpore. He was overpowered and executed on April 6 while his regiment was disbanded in May.

Storm Centres and Leaders of the Revolt

Mutiny at Delhi

At Delhi the symbolic leadership belonged to the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah, but the de facto or real command was in the hands of General Bakht Khan who had led the revolt of bareilly troops and brought them to Delhi.

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Revolt at Kanpur

The mutiny at Kanpur was led by Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the last Peshwa, Baji Rao II. Nana Saheb defeated the British army and made them withdraw from Kanpur and proclaimed himself the Peshwa. Nana Saheb further acknowledged Bahadur Shah as the Emperor of India and declared himself to be his governor.

Rebellion at Lucknow

In Lucknow, the rebellion was led by Begum Hazrat Mahal. Her son, Birjis Qadir, was proclaimed the Nawab and a regular administration was organised with important offices shared equally by Muslims and Hindus.

Unrest at Bareilly

Khan Bahadur sounded the bugle at Bareilly since he was not satisfied with the pension granted by the British. He organised an army of 40,000 soldiers and offered stiff resistance to the British.

Revolt in Bihar

In Bihar, the revolt was led by Kunwar Singh, the zamindar of Jagdishpur. He was above 70 years and held a grudge against the British for depriving him of his estates.

Mutiny at Faizabad

Maulvi Ahmadullah of Faizabad was another outstanding leader of the revolt. He emerged as one of the revolt’s acknowledged leaders once it broke out in Awadh in May 1857.

Revolt at Jhansi

The most outstanding leader of the 1857 revolt was Rani Laxmibai who led the revolt at Jhansi since her adopted son was refused to succeed to the throne after her husband had died and had annexed Jhansi by applying the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’.

She was joined by Tantia Tope, a close associate of Nana Saheb, after the loss of Kanpur.

Storm Centres of 1857 Revolt and Leaders

Centre

Leader

Delhi

General Bakht Khan

Kanpur

Nana Saheb

Lucknow

Begum Hazrat Mahal

Bareilly

Khan Bahadur

Bihar

Kunwar Singh

Faizabad

Maulvi Ahmadullah

Jhansi

Rani Laxmibai

So we have seen which were the main storm centres of the 1857 mutiny and their corresponding leaders.

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Kirtica Das
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August 20, 2018

The content is good helpful and accurate according to the ncert books ..one can easily understand the language also..thank you